Two Division Loses Make Playoffs Unlikely for the Blackhawks

February 22, 2019 

Following the NHL all-star break, I thought Jonathan Toews was off his rocker when in an interview he talked about making the playoffs. There are still many games left on the schedule. The Blackhawks had sunk to the NHL abyss and showed no signs that they could make a run. Lo and behold, with a mixture of young and experienced players they have been one of the league’s hottest teams. The hot streak has positioned them to compete for the eighth and final playoff spot.

New coach Jeremy Colliton started out looking to be a bad choice. After getting to know his team, he has made some extremely good moves. For the past couple of years the Hawks have been searching for someone to energize Toews. By putting MVP candidate Patrick Kane on his wing, Toews has 28 goals, one short of his career high. With the acquisition of 24-year-old Drake Caggiula as the third winger, this could be one of the most dynamic lines in hockey. 

Winger Alex Debrincat is blossoming into a star. As a first-year player he had 28 goals.With 21 games games remaining, he already has 33 goals. Nick Schmaltz was a talented player but not a goal scorer. General Manager Stan Bowman traded him for two players. Dylan Strome is young and is playing exceptionally well and unlike Schmaltz, scores goals. Brandon Saad is playing like they thought he would and has started to get going with 21 goals.

Colliton’s replacing Duncan Keith with Erik Gustafsson has turned the worst power play to the number one unit since 2019. Plus/minus is a good barometer of player evaluation. So although Gustafsson has sparked the power play,he has to work on his defense as he is a -9. Brent Seabrook is washed up. He can no longer push people from the crease and is frequently out of position; he is -7. His longtime partner Keith has improved as of late. Playing a little less the monster minutes he used to in the past, he now has a + 5 rating. I have been really critical of General Manager Bowman for his trades, especially the trading of Niklas Hjalmarsson for Connor Murphy. I was wrong, as in his second year he leads the team with a +11 rating. The Hawks have stockpiled young defensemen (too many to mention) who get better with every game. Rookie Collin Delia and veteran Cam Ward for the most part have been solid in goal. 

I wrote this all on Thursday, being extremely optimistic going into the weekend. However, two excruciating losses on home ice have diminished my enthusiasm. Against the Colorado Avalanche, the Hawks overcame three one-goal leads, eventually succumbing 5-3. Sunday they erased a 3-goal lead. I thought the momentum had swung their way but a stupid too many men on the ice penalty, compounded by a tripping penalty 28 seconds later, gave the Dallas Stars a five-on-three  they scored the go-ahead goal. What made matters worse, with a little more than four minutes left to play, Dallas gave the Hawks a four-minute power play. Having converting earlier I thought they could at least one maybe two goals. Even when they pulled the goalie to give them six-on-four they didn’t score. 

So as is stands, the Hawks are five points back of the eighth spot fighting multiple teams to make the playoffs. The two goalies have done an admirable job but you don’t win many games giving up four or more goals which has been the case as of late. Maybe it’s time to see if Corey Crawford can put a spark into this team. Making the playoffs will be a tough go. They will have to get back to playing the way they were before last weekend. I’m not real confident they will do so. 

Bulls Rebuild Will Take Time & Patience

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Barry

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February 5, 2019

 I have finally found the energy to talk about the moribund Chicago Bulls. There are reasons why this one-time proud team is one of the worst in the NBA.

In 2015, the Bulls front office wonks, John Paxon and Gar Forman, couldn’t wait to fire Tom Thibodeau and hire golden boy Fred Hoiberg to coach the 2016 Bulls.  Hoiberg’s vision was a fast-paced offensive team. You never heard a word about defense, where Thibodeau excelled. The biggest problem for Hoiberg was he didn’t have the right players for his system. His best player was Jimmy Butler, who slowed things down going one-on-one against defenders. The wonks further impeded Hoiberg inserting his offense by acquiring aging veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Instead of installing an offense that suited his players, he tried to fit square pegs into round holes. Problems arose after a game in which the Bulls blew a late 10-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks  Butler took on the role of prima donna and attached himself to Wade and publicly criticized the young players, never mentioning Wade not getting back to defend anyone. Rondo responded objecting to their throwing players under the bus. All three were fined for their comments. The rest of the year Hoiberg debated about playing Rondo. Finally realizing they were better with him in the lineup, miraculously they made the playoffs. Playing against the heavily favored Boston Celtics, Rondo led the Bulls to two straight road wins. However, he got hurt and without him the team lost four straight, three on their home court.

Changes were in order and the Bulls promised a rebuild, letting Rondo and Wade go and trading Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return the Bulls got former coveted first-round pick Kris Dunn, who had a disappointing season. An injured Zach LaVine was supposed to be the key to the trade. I hadn’t seen him play, although I knew he won the slam dunk competition. What turned out best was seventh overall pick forward Lauri Markkanen. The wonks told Hoiberg they would not be concerned with wins. They just asked them to compete with the young core. What they did, despite trying to lose, was wind up seventh in the draft, not a real game-changer.

This year, maybe winning mattered more as they dismissed Hoiberg early in the season. Due to injuries he never had the chance to coach the players they traded Butler for. By not waiting until the end of the season or having someone in mind, the Bulls quickly replaced him with Neanderthal military man Jim Boylen. He rants and raves up off the bench and has grueling practices mid-season despite injuries to many players. He’s more like a college coach who failed when he was. The crux of the problem is they named their coach for the rest of this year and next. Making him an interim would have given the Bulls a better idea if he is the right fit. His team continues to lose, most often getting blown out.

This team is in desperate need of help. First-round draft pick Wendell Carter Jr. is only 19 years old and looked good until his injury. No matter how good he is, big post men are not as important as they once were. Kris Dunn was playing well until last year’s injury. He is good at penetrating and passing but can’t shoot 3-pointers. In the current NBA, you need a point guard who can shoot 3-pointers, the best being Golden State’s Steph Curry. There are other point guards who have this ability. Some people think LaVine shoots too much, but the only other person on the floor who can score is Markkanen.

The players may turn out to be very good, but not the stars needed to win. One star makes you competitive, two win championships. The Bulls had this in Pippen and Jordan. Recently, it has been the Golden State Warriors’ Curry and Kevin Durant, Miami’s LeBron James and Dywane Wade, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and David Robinson, the list goes on and on. Even In my earlier years following basketball it was the L.A. Lakers Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain winning championships. The franchise player in in this year’s draft will be Zion Williamson of Duke. Believe it or not, there are teams with worse records than the Bulls who have a better chance of getting the first pick. Maybe there is a point guard out there who can shoot 3-pointers. Derrick Rose?